Small Amounts Of Snow Adding Up In Aberdeen

Aberdeen didn’t receive a lot of snow Thursday, but drivers in the Hub City sill need to be on guard.

The Hub City received more than an inch of snow before Thursday’s snow started falling. With that snow already sitting on the ground, it might not take as much in the future before the city issues a snow removal alert.

So city leaders want people to be aware. When smaller amounts of snow fall over a span of time, many people can be caught off guard when there's enough on the ground for the city to issue an alert.

"That's probably one of the more difficult ones," Aberdeen Public Works Director Robin Bobzien said. “If you end up with a snow that you get it all at once, most people are pretty well prepared that something is going to happen snow removal-wise.”

The city typically tickets and tows somewhere around 250 vehicles during a city-wide snow removal alert. But it's seen double that number at times.

Different reasons can contribute to an increase. Sometimes the amount of snow that falls at once isn't that much, but other factors including street conditions, previous snowfall and wind still warrant the alert.

Mikayla Deleon just started driving and hopes to avoid getting a ticket. She relies on her mom to find out if there's snow removal.

The city of Aberdeen urges everyone to watch for an alert when it snows. People can even register on the city's website to receive an alert by e-mail or text.

"There're just a lot of different places we try to put it because not everybody uses the same places for their information," Bobzien said.

Another day ended Thursday with little snow falling, but these small amounts will start adding up. The city asks residents to keep that in mind so no one gets a ticket.

"I don't plan on it," Deleon said.

About 1,100 people have signed up to receive a message by e-mail or text when there's a snow removal alert.